What Size Puppy Pad Do I Need? A Guide by Breed and Situation

Buying the wrong size pad is the most common and most expensive mistake in this category, because the failure mode looks like a quality problem. The pad worked perfectly. Your dog just wasn't standing on all of it.

The three sizes, and who they are for

60 x 60cm — the standard

Suits puppies of almost any breed up to around four months, and small to medium adult dogs indefinitely. Roughly the footprint of a large floor tile. This is the right starting point for most people: Cavaliers, Cockers, Frenchies, Westies, Dachshunds, Jack Russells, Shih Tzus, Cavapoos and most crossbreeds under about 15kg.

Available in 30, 50 and 100 packs.

60 x 90cm — 50% more coverage

The right size for medium to large breeds, and for any dog that has started overshooting a standard pad. Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Collies, Springers, Boxers, Dalmatians, Vizslas, Standard Poodles and most dogs over about 15kg. Also the sensible choice for large crates, and for senior dogs where one pad needs to cover a full night.

Available as a 40 pack.

71 x 86cm — the largest we make

Around two and a half times the area of a standard pad. For giant breeds — Great Danes, Newfoundlands, Mastiffs, German Shepherds with mobility problems — and for whelping boxes, XL crates and overnight incontinence care where one pad has to last until morning.

Available as a 40 pack.

Four questions that settle it

Does your dog circle before going?

Most do. A dog that turns two or three times needs meaningfully more room than the puddle itself suggests. If yours is a circler, size up.

Where are the misses landing?

If accidents are happening across the room, it is a training issue. If they are landing within a few inches of the pad edge, it is a sizing issue and no amount of training will fix it. Your dog thinks they are using the pad, and from their point of view they are.

How long is the pad down for?

A pad changed after every use can be smaller. A pad that has to cover eight hours overnight needs both the absorbent capacity and the surface area, because a dog will not stand in the same spot twice if the first spot is used.

Is it going in a crate?

Measure the crate base rather than guessing. A pad that has to be folded to fit will leak at the fold, every time. If you are between sizes for a crate, go smaller and use two.

What about puppies who will grow?

Buy for the dog you have now, not the dog you will have in six months. An eight-week-old Labrador on a 71 x 86cm pad is more likely to sleep on it than use it, and pads keep indefinitely, so there is no penalty in buying the next size up later. The usual pattern is 60 x 60cm from eight weeks, moving to 60 x 90cm somewhere around four to five months for larger breeds.

A note on sizing down to save money

It rarely works. A smaller pad that has to be used twice, or that leaves you cleaning the floor around it, costs more in pads and considerably more in time than the correct size would have. The cost difference between sizes is measured in pence per pad; the cost of a ruined carpet is not.

See all sizes and pack options. Free UK delivery on orders over £30.